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31 Mar 2004 : Column 1491W—continued
PRIME MINISTER
Correspondence
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to reply to the letter of 20 March from Radomir Putnikovic, Vice-president of the Serb National Unity Congress, on Kosovo. [164937]
The Prime Minister: I have asked my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. MacShane) to reply on my behalf.
British Prisoners (Egypt)
Mr. Amess: To ask the Prime Minister if he will meet the families of Ian Nisbet, Reza Pankhurst and Maajid Nawaz, along with their hon. Members, following the verdict on 25 March. [164841]
The Prime Minister: I have asked my noble and right hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean) to meet with the families and their hon. Members on my behalf.
Tibet
Kate Hoey: To ask the Prime Minister what his diary commitments are for the dates when the Dalai Lama will be visiting the UK. [165237]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to my answer to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) on 8 March 2004, Official Report, column 1375W.
31 Mar 2004 : Column 1492W
WORK AND PENSIONS
Council Tax (Pensioners)
Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the cost will be in each of the next five years of providing the £100 payment announced in the Budget Statement to pensioners aged 70 years and over to assist with council tax; and what the cost would be in each of those years if the payment were to be made to all those aged 65 years and over; [164229]
- (2) if he will make a statement on (a) how and (b) when the £100 payment announced in the Budget Statement to pensioners to assist with council tax will be made. [164230]
Malcolm Wicks: We are looking at the most cost-effective and efficient way to deliver payments.
It is intended that a single one-off payment is made in 2004–05. However, the costs of providing a £100 payment to all households containing a person aged 70 or over and to all households containing a person aged 65 or over in each of the next five years are shown in the table.
| Household aged 70+ | Household aged 65+ | |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 430 | 660 |
| 2005–06 | 430 | 640 |
| 2006–07 | 430 | 630 |
| 2007–08 | 440 | 620 |
| 2008–09 | 460 | 620 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 million and are given in 2004–05 prices.
2. Figures for 65+ households include the cost of 70+ households.
3. Figures exclude cases in residential care or nursing homes.
4. It is assumed that the £100 is not increased in line with prices.
Source:
Estimate based on DWP administrative data and 2002 based population forecasts from the government actuary's department.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of pensioners in Scotland who will receive the £100 payment to help with council tax bills, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area. [164471]
Malcolm Wicks: The latest available data showing households in Scotland with at least one occupant aged 70 or over broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area are in the tables. We expect the 2004–05 figures to be similar.
Notes:
1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest five.
2. Any residence found to have four or more occupants is not included in these figures as it is assumed to be Residential Care Nursing Home.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, WFP data Winter 2002–03 100 per cent. sample.
31 Mar 2004 : Column 1494W
| Local authority | Number of households |
|---|---|
| Aberdeenshire | 16,650 |
| Angus | 10,065 |
| Argyll and Bute | 7,635 |
| City of Aberdeen | 16,980 |
| City of Dundee | 12,015 |
| City of Edinburgh | 32,540 |
| City of Glasgow | 33,515 |
| Clackmannanshire | 3,790 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 14,600 |
| East Ayrshire | 10,105 |
| East Dumbartonshire | 8,815 |
| East Lothian | 8,340 |
| East Renfrewshire | 6,995 |
| Falkirk | 11,630 |
| Fife | 30,215 |
| Highland | 17,760 |
| Inverclyde | 5,900 |
| Midlothian | 6,205 |
| Moray | 7,415 |
| North Ayrshire | 11,090 |
| North Lanarkshire | 23,295 |
| Orkney Islands | 1,705 |
| Perthshire and Kinross | 12,660 |
| Renfrewshire | 12,375 |
| Scottish Borders | 10,195 |
| Shetland Isles | 1,500 |
| South Ayrshire | 11,320 |
| South Lanarkshire | 23,405 |
| Stirling | 6,810 |
| West Dumbartonshire | 7,460 |
| West Lothian | 9,225 |
| Western Isles | 2,605 |
| Scotland | 394,820 |
Source:
IAD Information Centre, WFP data Winter 2002–2003 100 per cent. sample.
Civil Service Jobs
Mr. Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which posts will be lost in his Department under the Chancellor of the Exchequer's plan to reduce numbers of civil servants; and what assessment he has made of proposals to cut 30,000 jobs. [163177]
Maria Eagle [holding answer 25 March 2004]: The Department has been developing plans for a reduction of up to 18,000 posts since 2002. This is now part of a four-year plan to reduce the number of posts by 30,000. This will reflect the new business model being rolled-out in Jobcentre Plus including more front-line staff conducting work-focused interviews; a Pension Transformation Programme and reductions in staffing in the Pension Service; the introduction of Child Support reform; and savings in "back office" functions in HR, finance and IT support.
The detail of how reductions will be allocated and profiled between businesses and corporate services will be developed in the normal way through our business planning processes and in discussion with the trade unions. We will provide further detail after the Spending Review settlement.
31 Mar 2004 : Column 1495W
National Insurance Fund
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to use the surplus in the National Insurance Fund to increase state pensions. [164117]
Malcolm Wicks: We are committed to ensuring that the basic state pension remains the foundation for income in retirement, paid for from the National Insurance Fund with a guarantee to increase it by at least 2.5 per cent. a year. We will continue to manage the fund prudently to achieve that objective.
National Minimum Wage
Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) families and (b) children in (i) the UK and (ii) the Wrekin he estimates have been lifted out of poverty by the minimum wage. [164053]
Mr. Pond: The information is not available.
The national minimum wage, together with tax credits, has helped to make work pay, with guaranteed minimum incomes for those in employment. From October 2004, when the minimum wage increases to £4.85 per hour, a single earner couple with one child, working full time (35 hours per week) on a minimum wage will have an income of £252 per week.
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